In Canada, we are privileged to enjoy the gifts of peace, freedom, human rights and the rule of law. As someone who came here 44 years ago as a stateless person, following a mass expulsion of South Asian citizens from my native Uganda, I know what it is like to lose stability and to be plunged into fear and chaos.
Through the years, Canadians in uniform have bravely stepped forward to defend people around the world facing conflict and war. Far too many of our heroes gave their own lives so that others could know peace and flourish. That is a debt that we can never truly repay. What we can do is honour their lives and legacies, today and every day, by cherishing the principles that they stood for.
As Her Majesty the Queen’s representative in Alberta, I offer my heartfelt thanks to all our veterans, and to members of the Canadian Armed Forces, for your very essential service. Like the Poppy of Remembrance, which is marking its 100th anniversary, the gratitude of your fellow Canadians only deepens in strength and meaning with each passing year.
To those who are grieving a fallen hero, I hope that you find comfort in the knowledge that your loved ones will never be forgotten. They live on in our hearts and minds, and in the spirit of peace that endures in this land because of their bravery and sacrifice.
Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani AOE, B.Sc. LLD (hon), Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
November 11, 2021